Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-10
His Best Friend
Completely


On Franklin avenue, as far out as
Twenty street, there is a little
down town. One can run over there and
get almost anythiHg-gO on a regular
shopping expedition without the trouble
Of fixing up and taking the car. The kind
Of shopper one mostly meets though, IS
matrCnIy looking woman wearing g shawl
or oId-fashiOned cut sacque. Her bonnet
sets loosely on her mead, likely as not
tipped a little raki-hIy on one side; a
comic0l wink above her broad, serious,
bareain-hunting face. She carries
large market basket, and
steps directly out OF the nil
liners into the butchers, and then into
the jewelers. to have q brooch mended.
She passed q grocery, the shop half in and
half out Of doors; price cards stare up
ont of the many articles, insinuating
Cheapness over and over. She ga hers
up q handful Of coffee, that one little
orazan-faCed card declares best govern
mentJsya, 20 c ITS, let's it slip through her
fingers. ,ying it suspiclOusIY; taen looks
into Il barrel of pickles sCOrnfully, and
thumps Big pumpkin knowingly.
But all this is no nearer my story than
being on the same street, right under the
window, but not und-r the eyes Of a hol-
low-eyed young man, who works IN g
room over q snOp. It is a neat little
room. aud he enters it early IN the morn
inc straight ard elastic. II there is not q
bloom on his hollow cheeks, there
is, at least, kind Of glow
of the freshness and cheerful
ness Of the morning. He Tubs his hands
together, coughs little amused
cough, and looks around, his face twist
ing up whimsically. "You are an ink spot
this morning." cycling splash Of ink on
the floor, 'eXp ressiOulesS, inanimate,
nothing bat an ink spot. You paid me a
trick yesterday; l Owe you one for it,"
and he shakes his fist at it. "There, little
blossom, be spry, Don't, l beg,
look so down IN the mouth; the
sun will be around presently, get
M your color" He turns around 6
byaciath lar, etrai-htens the BUD lolling
weekly, as If eXlaust,d with the fort Of
sending out all those haiJ-lke oots, and
that long, pelc, bonding fow-- stalk,
bearing bunch # little bind Ids, the
tupmost one IF Ebicn prom $ family
some purple gl0rieS worth the while.
"UD with YOU. Effort can't bear weak
ness, strength lies somewhere after all
that sprOuting and unfolding. Come,
be cav. There, you clean fsCed,
gOod-natured, unwinhjng, bland cid
cr0pies. YOU couldn't get up 8 coUule-
nance TO save YoU, no use" He smiles,
waves his hand 70 the opposite Wludows,
sits down 80 the typewriter ana spreads
out his short hand notes.
"Ncw fingers five be alive,
And good notes fail me no:-not-'
Click, clack goes the typewriter, hack,
hack Joins in q little sharp cough like an
accompaniment. His large briEht eyes
dart rapidly from the notes to the keys of
the writer, and now and then,
as he stops to puzzle over the
notes, he gently AMI absently rubs
at his chest, as If to rid himself of little
sore pain shat sticks like burr. Thick
and fast fall the purple letters on the long
unruled pages, even and clear. Intelli-
gtble pages aCcumUIa on one side out Of
the chaos of notes on the other. The
glow dies out of his face, leaving a hol-
low kind of WeaZen look, and he bends
over as If the spring within him was
worn; but faster go the fingers, and t
mark is drawn through page after page OF
the notes with whistle Of satisfaction.
A vivid Dick gathers in his thin cheeks,
the large eyes grow larger and very
bright, the fingers 90 faster, the cough
is iucessaut, the ClaCk Of the type
writer has become an accompaniment.
He gathers himself together, the lips are
folded until the lines about the mouth
seem TO speak, to defy the cough that
tears them apart again end agaln. i
stronger, steedier light shines cut
through the fatal 5GiIia-cy in Hjs eyes,
and in 9 moment o. dOUb. now, be passes
hi, hand across his forehead and wipes
uut the line of pain, and holds l. smooth.
A strong spirit battling with dying
3sdv. Against what 4dds is thstF
Mr.. George here's your dinner. Ma
s SO awfu " cross, i i2St Slipped in some
little eX rao ana few, lays tall Gwk-
RErd Sirl ab0u< fifteen, entering the
room
well, Maggie, she ca1't be as cr2ss3 IS
Tm hungry" ar. G&rge jumps up and
is seized with vic .ea1 coughing "There, 81
he saTs, painting and wiPing IF his wet
forehead, ait has been lying5in wait al
the morning. Now It's had its way, l.
better take itself of Turn about Is fgir
plsy Yea vampire, "spd he looks into the
plying face of the girl and smiles cheer
fully.
''What have you nice5"
Maggie spreads the diRner or the desk,
and Mr. George draws Ub his chair.
~ brought my arithmetic along; have
you time TO show me how TO do tEis
sum-"
eyes, read it out. I can eat and listen
at the same time"
Maggie sits down at Mr.. Georges ell
bow, opens the well-worn arithmetic, and
reads IL a slow impressive voice.
"There-can you make heads or tails
out Of that? l can't"
easily enough" and Mr.. George be-
tween his mOuthfuls explains.
"Oh, my! est little more aud don't
go so fast; you middle me all up!" And
Maggie puts down heavy, awkward
figures cautiously and eyes them
aDxiously, counting on her fingers with
her hand under her apron.
he looks at her with brilliant smile;